The Al Shabab fighters used car bombs in the attack on a military base in Galmudug’s Wisil town, located in central Somalia, triggering a fight with Somalian soldiers and armed locals, the Somalia state news agency reported.

A total of thirty people, including 17 soldiers and 13 civilians, died in the clashes.

Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (Movement of Striving Youth), more commonly known as al-Shabaab, is an Islamic group based in East Africa.

In 2012, it pledged allegiance to the organization Al-Qaeda.

Al-Shabaab's troop strength was estimated at 7,000 to 9,000 militants in 2014.

As of 2015, the group has retreated from the major cities; however, al-Shabaab still controls large parts of the rural areas. (ILKHA)